Commissioners direct staff to return with AV vendor terms after $32,000 quote

Kootenai County Board of Commissioners · December 10, 2025
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Summary

Staff recommended replacing failing courtroom/meeting-room AV equipment with a $32,000 bid from VIP Production Northwest after service and responsiveness issues with incumbent Avadex; commissioners asked for maintenance‑contract details and will consider the item at a business meeting.

Sarah Masters presented options to the board after staff discovered the county’s AV system had aging components that frequently fail and cannot be fully repaired. Masters said Avadex — the incumbent vendor — provided a non‑specific estimate of $50,000–$250,000 and was slow to respond, while VIP Production Northwest produced a quote of just over $32,000 and recommended products that staff and an internal reviewer (Michael) judged appropriate.

Masters said VIP requested 50% up front; legal staff removed several contract terms and the vendor agreed to those edits. Staff noted outstanding questions about the vendor’s ongoing maintenance costs and response time; Craig reviewed the quote and recommended clarifying maintenance/service‑level commitments. Commissioners expressed frustration with the county’s existing band‑aids and intermittent livestream failures and signaled urgency to resolve the problem to maintain public transparency.

The board directed staff to place the AV replacement on a future business meeting agenda with clarified maintenance terms, service levels, and a total cost breakdown (including the requested 50% upfront payment). No formal procurement decision or purchase was made at this meeting.